


Bones

by Entwinedlove



Series: The Great October Challenge 2017 [46]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Blood and Gore, Canonical Character Death, Conor Mulciber is sick, Dead Dove: Do Not Eat, Gen, Violence, death of children
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-16
Updated: 2017-10-16
Packaged: 2019-08-08 00:37:42
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 796
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16419107
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Entwinedlove/pseuds/Entwinedlove
Summary: The Order of the Phoenix loses a good man.





	Bones

**Author's Note:**

> Written for Ordinary Writing Levels's 31 Days of Halloween  
> day 16 prompt: bones
> 
> [ ](https://i.imgur.com/5ICD74i.jpg)

Sirius found himself in a war zone. He tossed away the broken cauldron handle that he'd used as a Portkey and ducked behind the rubbish bins nearby. A jet of red spellfire erupted above his head and the lid of the bin flew off and banged loudly against the brick of the house Sirius was hiding against.

He leaned out around the bins to get a better look at what was going on. Death Eaters and Order Members were trading spellfire in the front yard of the Bones's house. There was a high-pitched scream of a little boy and Sirius's heart lurched into his throat. Shit. Edgar's kids were still in the house.

Sirius checked the other way and found it clear and he turned and ran around the back of the house. He jumped over the low garden wall and spotted Conor Mulciber carrying a small limp body over his shoulder. Bile rose in Sirius's throat when he saw the body liberally draining blood in their wake.

He wanted to rush in and avenge the child's death—and he knew it had been gruesome and torturous if Mulicber had anything to do with it—but he couldn't; Sirius needed to get to through the house to give Edgar back up.

Sirius slipped in the back door and tried to listen for any other children's screams, but the crackle and crash of spells as they burst against brick, glass, and shield spells was deafening. He could only hope that Edgar's wife had been able to get the other two boys out of the house.

Through the front window, Sirius saw a slight lull in the action as Mulciber darted out and dropped the corpse of the child in front of Edgar. The older man's scream of rage couldn't mask the horror and heartbreak in the father's voice. Sirius rushed through the door and started flinging spells in rapid succession at the Death Eaters. He'd thought that with the death of the child and subsequent flaunting of it, they would start retreating.

They didn't. Sirius could hear his deranged cousin Bellatrix cackling behind her mask as he volleyed spells in her direction. To his right, he saw more spells as Edgar rejoined the fight beside him.

Sirius heard a yell that he recognised and saw James and Lily join him and Edgar from the right in trying to fight off the siege of Death Eaters in black robes and silver masks. There was a pained yelp from Edgar and Sirius turned in time to see the older man stumble and a flood of red start to pour from the man's lower stomach. He looked confused and in shock and Sirius knew something horrible had happened.

"James, need cover!" he shouted and then dove towards Edgar, bracing his arm against the man's stomach. That's when he knew what the curse was. Edgar's intestines tried to slip out over Sirius's hand and arm even as Edgar shifted to try and rejoin the fight. Sirius wanted to shout at Edgar to fall back, to lay down, to let the remaining Order members continue the fight. He needed to lay down so Sirius could try and heal him before too much more damage was done. He didn't get the chance. Another spell slammed into Edgar's chest and knocked him back several feet and Sirius tried to move with him, tried to keep his insides on the inside but in the jostling Sirius could feel more pouring out and there was so much blood and as Edgar toppled Sirius's hand slipped inside of his guts and Sirius gagged but held on, desperate to try and save him.

He held on as Edgar coughed and gagged and flinched and looked him in the eye. "Care?" he asked and then he died.

Sirius just sat there staring at him as tears formed in his eyes. He could hear the spellfire fade around him, Bella's cruel laugh after she shouted the spell that would cast the Dark Mark into the sky, the sound of multiple Apparitions as the Death Eaters fled.

Then there were soft hands touching his shoulders, another pair on his back. "Come on, Sirius, we need to get his body to St Mungo's morgue," James said softly. 

Sirius looked up over his shoulder to see James and Lily, dishevelled but not hurt. He could feel tears crawling down his face, catching on his stubble. "Care—Caroline Bones, the other boys?"

James shook his head. They'd lost the entire Bones family. Sirius didn't remember standing or how he got back to his flat but he did remember the feel of Edgar's entrails, slippery and wet in his hands, as he stood in his shower fully dressed to try and wash the blood away.

 


End file.
